Mal Fletcher raises some hugely important questions surrounding the Channel 4 documentary.
Among the most important are these:
Are we right to
consider allegations of a crime as grievous as repeated child abuse
when the alleged offender is no longer with us? Second, can we
separate the artist from their personal behaviour, in terms of our
appreciation of their work?
Michael Jackson may not be
around to answer the claims against him, but justice should be served
anyway - as far as that is possible. The memory of many historical
figures has been soiled by posthumous evidence of awful behaviour. In
those cases, we find ourselves reappraising their legacy. They may
have escaped the justice of the courts, but history has its own
retributive measures.
That said, we should only approach
this story with a desire to prevent similar activities in the future.
We should not allow our discussion about it to become an exercise in
vindictiveness.
If we decide that, on balance, the
likelihood that abuse occurred is greater than the likelihood that the
accusers are lying, we must learn from the situation and move on.
It's a shame that, if the allegations are correct, Michael
Jackson is not here to have the opportunity to reform. Had that
happened, he might have become a better figure in the eyes of some
people - and his latter years might have been quite redemptive.
The testimony of the young men concerned would form the greater
part of the evidence against Michael Jackson, even if he was still
with us. As for the reliability of the alleged victims, I can't see
what they gain in making these claims, except a lot of vitriol and
abuse from the singer's fans around the world.
We know
that he denied these types of claims on other occasions - in the press
and in court. In the end, we are left to decide whether the claims are
consistent with what is known about other aspects of his behaviour.
Then we come to the question of whether it is possible to
separate an artist's body of work from their behaviour. After the
conviction of Bill Cosby, there was a debate among entertainers in the
US as to whether we can separate a person's professional output from
their personal activities. I think, to a degree, we can, but only
after that behaviour has been openly addressed and dealt with
appropriately.
History reflects that if this is going to
occur, it will usually take a considerable period of time. Even then,
though, the performer's work will likely always be tainted by the
memory of their actions. We will find ourselves asking, "How much of
this particular output was impacted by bad or criminal behaviour?"
If the claims made in the documentary are judged to be
consistent with other parts of Michael Jackson's behaviour or history,
he will probably never again enjoy the same public standing.
This case raises many ethical questions. Yet its central lesson
for us is simple, whatever the truth of the allegations.
The lesson is this: celebrity is no guarantee of integrity and
talent is no substitute for character. Fame cannot immunise those she
favours from the potential effects of their inner pain.